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NSERC Policy on Environmental Assessment (EA)
Introduction
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"Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable –
to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their needs...a continually
evolving concept based on the integration of social, economic, and environmental
concerns."
– Our Common Future, World Commission on Environment and
Development, 1987
…Environmental assessment provides an effective means of integrating
environmental factors into planning and decision-making processes in a
manner that promotes economic development that conserves and enhances
environmental quality.
…The Government of Canada seeks to achieve sustainable development
by conserving and enhancing environmental quality and by encouraging and
promoting economic development that conserves and enhances environmental
quality.
…The Government of Canada is committed to exercising leadership within
Canada and internationally in anticipating and preventing the degradation
of environmental quality and at the same time ensuring that economic development
is compatible with the high value Canadians place on environmental quality.
– Extract from the Preamble of the Canadian Enviromental Assessment Act.
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As a federal agency, NSERC must adhere to federal environmental legislation
and policies, and make sure the research it supports is carried out in a manner
that respects the environment.
NSERC also actively promotes sustainable development, that is, development
that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. It does this by supporting research leading
to new knowledge needed in the development of new policies and regulations for
environmental protection, and to innovative and environmentally-friendly products,
processes and services. The results of NSERC-supported research improves Canadians'
quality of life and helps Canada to fulfil its international commitments in
the area of the environment.
Policy Statement
NSERC will ensure that the research it supports promotes sustainable development
and is conducted in a way that respects and protects the environment. To
do this, NSERC will work with its grants and award holders and other partners
to minimize or eliminate the negative environmental effects of proposed research,
and when possible, to improve environmental quality.
Council has adopted the following policy objectives:
- NSERC will take into account environmental concerns in its planning and
decision-making, in a way that promotes sustainable development.
- NSERC will ensure that the research it supports adheres to federal environmental
legislation and policies.
- NSERC's policy on environmental assessment is guided by the principles
of sustainable development as articulated in the Canadian Environmental
Assessment Act (hereafter referred to as the Act).
This means:
- NSERC will ensure that all proposals are examined for potential environmental
effects.
- When an EA is required, NSERC will make sure that it is conducted at the
proposal stage and before irrevocable decisions are made.
- For any proposal that has potentially negative impacts on the environment,
NSERC will follow up to ensure that appropriate monitoring and mitigation
measures are put into place to minimize or eliminate these impacts.
- Researchers must disclose the potential environmental effects of research
acitivities in their proposals and inform NSERC and their institution of any
changes in the work, as they pertain to the environment, during the course
of the award.
- NSERC will not release funds until it is satisfied with the results of the
environmental assessment and with the proposed mitigation measures.
- NSERC will undertake strategic environmental assessments of its plans, programs
and policies in accordance with the 1999 Cabinet Directive on the Environmental
Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals, as required.
- NSERC will ensure that organizations created to receive and manage NSERC
funds (for example, the Networks of Centres of Excellence) will have a process
to identify proposals having potentially negative environmental effects and
to assess them.
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